F °Piants wh t h These figures show a uniform, con- 



Fieures Show sistent and marked advantage from the 



86 use of Nitrate of Soda; and the effect 



of its absence is shown by the steady decline of the 

 yields on the no-Nitrate plot from year to year. In 

 each year the use of 150 pounds of Nitrate gave in- 

 creased yields over the plot without Nitrogen, the gain 

 varying from 1,200 to almost 2,300 pounds, an aver- 

 age gain of about seven-eighths of a ton of hay. Three 

 times this amount of Nitrate did not, of course, give 

 three times as much hay, but it so materially increased 

 the yield as to show that it was all used to good advan- 

 tage except, perhaps, in the second year. This was an 

 exceptionally dry year and but one crop could be cut. 

 The advantage from the Nitrate showed strikingly in 

 the production of a rapid and luxurious early growth 

 while moisture was still available. This supply of 

 readily soluble food comes just when it is most needed, 

 since the natural change of unavailable forms of Nitro- 

 gen in the soil to the soluble Nitrates proceeds very 

 slowly during the cool, moist weather of spring. The 

 full ration of Nitrogen, 450 pounds of Nitrate, more 

 than doubled the yield of hay over that produced on 

 the no-Nitrate plot in 1900 and in the next two years 

 it nearly tripled the yield. The average increase over 

 the 150 pound plot was one and three-tenths tons and 

 over the plot without Nitrogen was two and five-eighths 

 tons. 



Effect on Quality of Hay. 



Almost as marked, and certainly 

 How Nitrate more surprising and unexpected, was 



Improves the th ffect f ^ Nitrate upon the qua l_ 



Quality of the „ ., , j j 



jj ay lty ot the hay produced. 



The hay from the plots during the 

 first season was of such diverse character that different 

 ton values had to be placed upon it in estimating the 

 profit from the use of fertilizers. That from the no- 

 Nitrate plot, since it contained so much clover at both 

 cuttings, was considered worth only $9.00 a ton; the 

 first cutting on the small Nitrogen ration was valued 



